Sick Flix: American Guinea Pig – Bouquet of Guts and Gore (2014)

The Guinea Pig film series is celebrated by fans of Extreme Cinema for its uncompromising gore and sadistic violence that reaches levels so rarely able to be seen in film. Even though these films remain near and dear to the black hearts of us gore hounds, the fact is, that it’s been decades since the last film was released and at this point, the out-of-print DVDs are hard to even find. Although prior to the limited DVD release in 2002 by German company Devil Pictures, North American fans of the series only knew the films as grainy bootlegs from multi-generation VHS tapes.

Despite the 2002 release, though, the series still seemed destined to eventually be forgotten, but in 2005 Stephen Biro rescued it from obscurity by giving it a proper North American DVD release through his company Unearthed Films. However, not content with simply preserving the original series, Biro also took it upon himself to resurrect the concept for contemporary audiences and, in 2014, kicked off his American Guinea Pig film series with the first entry Bouquet of Guts and Gore. Does this update properly capture the look and feel of the original Japanese films and set itself as a worthy standard bearer for the series in the new millennium? Well, let’s discuss.

Like much of the original series, this film is light on what most would deem a “conventional” plot and can essentially be summarized as “three men capture a pair of women and torture them to death to make a snuff film.” Of course, as fans of the original series know, the real appeal of a Guinea Pig film isn’t its storyline.

Content-wise, this film is most similar to the second Guinea Pig entry, Flower of Flesh and Blood, as it also features the graphic disassembling of a female victim (or rather victims in this case) who remains unnervingly unresponsive due to the drugs she is given. Naturally, if you are going to brand yourself a Guinea Pig film you need to be able to showcase brutal and grotesque gore effects that are realistic enough to convince Charlie Sheen it’s a genuine snuff film. On that most important front, AGP: BoGaG delivers, with stunning practical effects that show every graphic detail of what it looks like to take apart a human body. From limbs being laboriously sawed through, to eyeballs being slit, jaws hacked off and guts pulled out, every aspect is presented in incredibly detailed realism that is essential to any true Guinea Pig film.

Biro also makes the interesting stylistic choice to show the characters themselves filming the events, which adds to the found footage/snuff film feel he is going for. The footage is also shot mostly handheld from different types of cameras and it is made clear that they are recording on both VHS and film. This makes for a sometimes jarring change in image quality from one shot to the next, although, this appears to be Biro’s way of paying homage to the grainy, bootleg style of the originals, while also ensuring that audiences are able to view the brutal effects in all their gruesome glory.

Now, I like the idea that the characters are creating this snuff film (that also serves as a Satanic sacrifice) at the behest of unseen clients, but this does make the movie a bit problematic from a story perspective. Are we to assume that what we are watching is the final edited product that will be sent to the clients? This makes the scene with the snuff film editor feel a bit out of place, as it would be the only part of this movie that takes place in the “real world” of the film and not within the snuff film itself. This would also be true for the end scene, although it is not entirely clear whether that is meant to be the opening footage for the next project they are making. No spoilers here, but I actually found that to be the most disturbing part of this entire movie, simply for what is implied.

This also brings up the questions “why would the clients want the movie to be made on multiple formats that ultimately result in inconsistent footage quality?” And “is this film meant to take place before the invention of digital cameras?” Now, while I’m on the subject, I do feel I have to mention that the only other area where I saw some room for improvement was in the performance of the director character (Scott Gabbey) who struck me as a bit stilted. There is not a lot of dialogue in this film and, since he is responsible for much of it, a more naturalistic delivery of his lines would have improved the audiences’ immersion in the film.

To be clear, these are ultimately minor, quibbling points that don’t detract much from the overall experience of the film, but as a reviewer, it is my duty to address any parts of the film that aren’t hitting it at 100%. Rest assured, this is very much a worthy continuation of the Guinea Pig legacy. Unlike most American takes on foreign films, this one is very successful at capturing the authentic tone and feeling of the originals, which is a rare feat indeed. It is also able to create the same kind of extremely dark, gritty, and dangerous feeling of the original series and may actually surpass it in the level of extreme violence on display. This is absolutely the way a Guinea Pig film should be made but also stands on its own as an all too rare example of truly uncompromising, uncensored filmmaking. Take note horror fans, this is what genuine Extreme Cinema looks like. It is also definitely one of the most violent, disturbing American films ever made, and that in and of itself, is a tremendous fucking achievement.

This review originally ran on Corin Totin’s Sick Flix website. Check it out for more dark and disturbing film reviews!

Two women are abducted by a group of snuff filmmakers and brought into a Hellish nightmare of unmistakable brutality, viciousness and destruction that will leave every viewer shocked, amazed and awestruck. A love letter to ultra gorehounds the world over. The American Guinea Pig Series is about to begin. Extras Audio Commentary with Marcus Koc & Stephen Biro Audio Commentary with James VanBebber & Stephen Biro Interview with Scott Gabbey & James Van Bebber Interview with Marcus Koch & Stephen Biro FX preproduction for AGP Making of Bouquet of Guts and Gore Music Video by Perdition Temple An extensive stills gallery Soundtrack CD 12 page booklet The Japanese set a standard with these movies, especially Flower of Flesh & Blood, of being crude and messy with little regard for what you think a movie should be. Director, writer and editor Stephen Biro takes that attitude and saws your fu%king legs off with it. – CINESPLOITATION I guarantee it will leave the most hardened gore fans stunned, like a shotgun blast to the face. – LAIR OF FILTH Mr. Biro’s film is a true gore masterpiece! I felt as if I had been immersed in a swimming pool of ravaged flesh and entrails. – STRICTLY SPLATTER FLOWER OF FLESH AND BLOOD has long been one of the most, if not the most convincing pseudo-snuff films in the history of subversive underground horror cinema… that is until now. – SEVERED CINEMA Sometimes, ya just gotta flush out your eye sockets after what you’ve seen. – – DREAD CENTRAL Stephen Biro is one cruel son of a bi*ch. This isn’t a movie you can simply write off as gross. It’s something far deeper for which I am sure only Lucifer himself could decipher. – RYAN NICHOLSON Director of Gutterballs, Live Feed and Collar. If you are into gore and want to test your endurance, AGP will be your next task. – SADISTIC CINEMA TWISTED AS ALL HELL! – HORRORNEWS.NET Bonus features include: CD Soundtrack, Alternate Trailers, 12 Page Booklet, On Set Still Gallery, FX Pre-production Still Gallery, Interview with Marcus Koch, Director of 100 Tears and FX Guru and Director Stephen Biro of AGP and President of Unearthed Films. , Interviews with Jim VanBebber. Director of DeadBeat at Dawn and the Manson Family and Scott Gabbey. President of Ultra Violent Magazine, The Making of American Guinea Pig 1:45 minutes, Special Effects: Behind The Scenes Pre-Production of AGP 25 minutes , Alternate scenes, Cut Scenes, Commentary with Marcus Koch and Stephen Biro, Commentary with Jim VanBebber and Stephen Biro, Perdition Temple Music Video

About The Author

Corin Totin is a Film School graduate and owner of Sickflix.net where he reviews Horror and Alternative Cinema films. He is a strong supporter of freedom of expression and believes that art that pushes boundaries and breaks taboos is essential to preserving that freedom. You can visit his site www.sickflix.net, like him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sickflix.net or follow him on Twitter @SickFlixHorror.